Chris Raschka has won the Caldecott Medal for “the most distinguished picture book for children” and Jack Gantos won the Newbery Medal for “the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature,” both awarded today by the American Library Association. Here’s the complete list of the 2012 Newbery, Caldecott and other ALA award winners. As always with literary prizes, part of the news consists of who didn’t win. In naming today’s honorees, librarians snubbed books by three of America’s greatest living illustrators of children’s books: Nancy Ekholm Burkert’s Mouse & Lion, Maurice Sendak’s Bumble-Ardy and Chris Van Allsburg’s Queen of the Falls.

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As a librarian (who specializes in children’s books), I’m a little offended. I wouldn’t call it “snubbed.” Raschka is a great illustrator, and there are so many wonderful books to choose from. Raschka’s book was predicted by many to be the medalist or an honor book. I think the bigger surprise (at least among librarians) was that Kadir Nelson’s “Heart and Soul” was not the Caldecott winner or an honor book – but then it did receive a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor and the Coretta Scott King Author Award.

No offense intended to Chris Raschka. Journalists often use the word “snubbed” when a major author gets bypassed for an honor (as many did, for example, when Jonathan Franzen didn’t get shortlisted for a National Book Award).

The issue of Kadir Nelson is a larger one to me. I’ve heard other librarians say the same thing (they expected him to get a Caldecott). It raises the question of whether black authors sometimes get bypassed for the top medals because they seem to be shoo-ins for lesser ones. The possibility of another medal shouldn’t be a factor when the awards have separate committees. But some judges may be subconsciously influenced by it. And I’ve heard librarians express concerns about the issue.